After falling down a well in Mansfield, one council litter inspector suffered such a severe personal injury claim that he was forced to take six months off of work in order to recover.
The council worker was clearing litter along with two of his colleagues when the work accident claim occurred. The men had been cleaning litter from the White Lion Yard of the town by removing the well’s metal covering to expose the wire mesh beneath it in an effort to clear the litter that had built up between both objects.
The worker fell when he misjudged the stability of the wire mesh. Certain it was resting on a solid surface, the worker stepped on the mesh and instead plummeted six metres into the dry well. As a result the worker sustained several serious injury claims including lacerations to his upper body and head and a dislocation to his elbow.
Mansfield District Council admitted to being in breach of Work at Height Safety Regulations at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court. As a result the council was levied a fine of £5,000. Additionally the council was ordered to pay £5,700 in legal costs as well.
One Health and Safety Executive inspector commented on the case, stating that workers faced the risk of falling down the well despite the straight forward nature of the work being performed in the yard. The inspector added that the injured worker demonstrated extreme luck that his injuries, while severe, did not end up being life threatening in any way.
In related news, statistics reveal that more than 4,00 workers sustained serious injuries in accidents in which they fell from a height during the 2009-2010 year.